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3. 'Big Business' interests
in tourism
development
Domestic tourism development in Japan is closely
related to the alliance between major companies and political
parties.
In the “Resort Law” of 1987, no less than 20% of
all land in Japan was supposed to be developed into ski and holiday resorts
by ‘3rd sector system’ companies (public-private
partnerships).
This accelerated massive hardware
construction by big real estate and building companies (which are often accused of Yakuza involvement) with little
regard for tourism practice, maintenance, quality or impacts.
The icon of this development is Yoshiaki
Tsutsumi, according to FORBES the richest person in the world
between 1987 and 1990 and a close friend and patron of former Prime
Minister Koizumi.
With the battle cry “I want to own all land in
Japan that is suitable for tourism development” Tsutsumis Kokudo
Corp. developed 81 hotels, 36 Ski resorts, 52 golf courses etc.,
infrastructure provided free of charge by national and prefectural
governments.
In 1998 he succeeded in bringing the Olympic
Winter Games to Nagano, using almost exclusively Kokudo
installations there, by paying hefty bribes to the IOC and having the support of the Japanese government.
Arrested in March 2005, he pleaded guilty to
insider trading and falsifying reports on the first day of his trial. On October 27, 2005, the Tokyo District Court sentenced him to 30 months in prison, suspended for 4 years, and a fine of 5 million yen.
Today he is free man.
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